Whitireia Performing Arts

Whitireia offers a dynamic experience of contemporary New Zealand culture. Founded on the belief ‘He toi whakairo, he mana tangata’ (where there is artistic excellence there is human dignity), the group celebrates New Zealand’s unique place within the Pacific through dance performances from four cultural traditions – Māori, Samoan, Cook Islands, and contemporary New Zealand.

Over the past twelve years, Whitireia has performed at festivals in China, Korea, Singapore, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Belgium, Vietnam, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Australia, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Tahiti, and Rapanui. The group has performed at New Zealand promotional and education fairs, New Zealand High Commissions, and accompanied political delegations.

Whitireia has been a finalist in the New Zealand Tourism Awards and the Wellington Gold Awards for enterprise and excellence, and, in 2003, won the Best Creative Business Award at the Porirua Business Awards.

Whitirea believes that arts and culture are at the very heart of community and nation, and that to practice these is to feed the spirit and well-being of one’s country and the world.